The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said there was “no need to express regret” and that Kerry had not done so in several conversations with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.
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As Iran races to satisfy the terms of last summer’s nuclear deal and the USA prepares to suspend sanctions, Kerry is talking to Zarif more than any other foreign leader.
On Tuesday, skeptics may have gained more ammunition when Iran’s coast guard detained 10 USA sailors after their two Navy patrol boats broke down and apparently strayed into Iranian waters.
By contrast, America’s top diplomat has talked to Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister twice.
Under its July deal with the P5+1 group – Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States plus Germany – Iran agreed to take measures to limit its nuclear activities. Even as U.S. President Barack Obama on Tuesday night praised the nuclear deal for averting a war with Iran, the Persian Gulf incident underscores lingering tensions in the relationship.
With the implementation of the JCPOA, “the oppressive sanctions will be removed and we will witness good economic era”, he said.
Analysts say Saudi rulers have lost confidence in Washington as an unflinching ally, and they may be seeking to stoke sectarian violence in the region. Many U.S. lawmakers have clamored for tougher action against Iran after it tested ballistic missiles late past year and for its refusal to release American prisoners. It is common for US troops to keep their dogtags, with identifying information including social security numbers, in the laces of their right boot.
Iran was required to ship out most of its stockpile of enriched uranium, a material that can be used for making bombs, and take apart thousands of the centrifuges that enrich the material.
Still, it’s important not to overstate any warmth between the USA and Iran. Saudi Arabia and Iran already are backing opposing sides in Syria and refusing to cooperate against the Islamic State.
“Inaction … would send the misguided message that, in the wake of the [nuclear deal], the worldwide community has lost the willingness to hold the Iranian regime accountable for its support for terrorism and other offensive actions throughout the region”, they wrote.
If the Saudi-Iranian crisis escalates, diplomats fear the newest stab at Syria peace talks could unravel before the scheduled start later this month.
Secretary of State John Kerry predicted Wednesday the achievement “within the next coming days”.
Kerry made at least five phone calls to Zarif, who assured him that the sailors’ release would be imminent, according to the Washington Post.
If true, that will compel the West to lift sanctions, meaning billions of dollars in Iranian assets worldwide will be unfrozen.
A report by the International Atomic Energy Agency, concluding that Iran had fulfilled its obligations under the agreement, would come out on Friday, broadcaster IRIB cited Araghchi as saying, paving the way for sanctions to end.
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“The U.S. has for the first time been able to communicate with Iran in some depth, and has learned first hand how its system operates”, says Graham Fuller, a former senior official with the Central Intelligence Agency and expert in Middle East politics.
